1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer head and a printer apparatus, and more particularly, it relates to a printer head and a printer apparatus, in which data is transferred from a host computer at a high speed.
2. Related Background Art
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing an example of a system using a conventional printer apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 6, in the conventional system, printer information is transferred between a printer apparatus 220 and a host computer 10 by using a computer communication interface. The host computer 10 is provided with an interface circuit 11 for outputting the printer information to the printer apparatus 220 by using the computer communication interface, and the printer apparatus 220 is provided with an interface circuit 221 for receiving the printer information transferred from the host computer 10, an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) 222 for controlling the entire apparatus on the basis of the information, a ROM 226, and a RAM 226, a motor 224 controlled by the MPU 222 and adapted to convey a recording medium (not shown), a parallel/serial converting portion 223 for converting the information (parallel data) processed by the MPU 222 into serial data and outputting such serial data, and a printer head 230 for effecting recording by discharging ink onto the recording medium on the basis of the data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion 223. Incidentally, the interface circuit 221 and the MPU 222 are interconnected through a bus 227, the MPU 222 and the ROM 225 are interconnected through a cable 274, the MPU 222 and the parallel/serial converting portion 223 are interconnected through a cable 271, and the parallel/serial converting portion 223 and the printer head 230 are interconnected through a serial data line 272.
Further, the printer head 230 also includes parallel/serial converting portion 240 constituted by a plurality of shift registers 241-1 to 241-n and adapted to convert the serial data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion 223 into parallel data and to output such parallel data, a recording element portion 260 constituted by a plurality of recording elements 261-1 to 261-n and adapted to discharge the ink onto the recording medium on the basis of the parallel data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion 240, and a drive portion 250 constituted by a plurality of drivers 251-1 to 251-n and adapted to drive heater boards 261-1 to 261-n on the basis of the parallel data outputted from the parallel/serial converting portion 240.
In the printer apparatus 220 having the above-mentioned arrangement, when the printer information is transferred from the host computer 10 by using the computer communication interface, such information is inputted through the interface 221, and, in the MPU 222, the inputted information is converted in a software manner, and the converted data is converted into the serial data in the parallel/serial converting portion 223 and then is inputted to the printer head 230. In the printer head 230, the serial data inputted to the parallel/serial converting portion 240 is converted into the parallel data and then is outputted, and the drivers 251-1 to 251-n are driven on the basis of the outputted data, with the result that the recording elements 261-1 to 261-n are heated, thereby discharging the ink onto the recording medium to effect the recording.
In this way, in the conventional printer apparatus, the transferring of the printer information is effected between the printer apparatus and the host computer by using the computer communication interface, and the printer information transferred to the printer apparatus is supplied to the printer head after it is converted into the processable form.
In the above-mentioned conventional printer apparatus, although the computer communication interface is used for transferring the printer information between the host computer and the printer apparatus, in the printer head, since the recording operation cannot be performed on the basis of the printer information using the computer communication interface, the printer information transferred from the host computer to the printer apparatus is supplied to the printer head after it is converted into the processable form in the printer apparatus.
In an arrangement shown in FIG. 6, the printer information transferred from the host computer to the printer apparatus is firstly converted in the software manner in the MPU 222 and then is converted into the serial data in the parallel/serial converting portion 223.
Thus, load of the converting operation and the converting system becomes great. If the data is transferred from the host computer at a high speed, the data is stayed in the printer apparatus, thereby causing problems that the recording speed is reduced and that the cost is increased.
In a case where the data transferring between the host computer and the printer apparatus is effected at a low speed (print head having 64 nozzles is driven at 6.0 kHz), although the above problems do not arise, in case of the high speed transferring (print head having 304 nozzles is driven at 9.6 kHz), high serial data transferring of 2.9 MHz (304xc3x979.6 kHz) is reached, with the result that noise generated in the high speed transferring will affects a bad influence upon the surroundings and/or the transferring wave form will be distorted to result in data error.
To avoid this, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-76153 discloses a printer apparatus in which a printer head is provided with an interface for receiving print data transferred from a host computer, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM and a driver for driving a main body of the apparatus so that data processing in the printer body is effected in the printer head and performance of the printer is improved.
Further, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-31566 discloses a printer apparatus in which image data having format processable by a printer head is formed by a host computer so that data processing load in a body of the printer is reduced and performance of the printer is improved.
However, in the printer apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-76153 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-31566, since supposing that the data transferring between the host computer and the printer apparatus is effected at the low speed, high speed transferring, particularly, high speed transferring more than 3 Mbps is not perceived.
Further, in the technique disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 10-31566, only the data transferred to the printer apparatus by the host computer is disclosed.
The present invention is made in consideration of recent high speed data transferring which was not perceived in the above-mentioned conventional techniques, and an object of the present invention is to provide a printer head and a printer apparatus, in which recording can be effected without reduction of a processing speed even when data is transferred from a host computer at a high speed.
To achieve the above object, according to the present invention, there is provided a printer head having a plurality of print elements for effecting recording on a recording medium on the basis of printer information inputted from outside, comprising an interface circuit for converting input of the printer information corresponding to communication interface standard for high speed data transferring into data processable in the print head and for outputting the converted data, and in which the recording on the recording medium is effected by the print elements in accordance with the printer information outputted from the interface circuit.
The interface circuit means, that it is provided with a controller circuit for controlling a communication protocol to be used for the communicating with an external equipment through the interface circuit.
Further, it may be arranged that an interface portion and a controller circuit are integrated with or separated from each other.
Further, the present invention provides a printer head having a plurality of print elements for effecting recording on a recording medium on the basis of printer information inputted from outside, comprising an interface circuit for converting input of the printer information corresponding to communication interface standard for high speed data transferring into data processable in the print head and for outputting the converted data, and a plurality of drivers for driving the plurality of print elements, and in which the interface circuit and the plurality of drivers are directly connected by an internal bus.
The printer head may include a motor for shifting the recording medium and the printer head relatively on the basis of the printer information outputted from the interface circuit.
The communication interface standard may be conformed to IEEE 1394 standard.
Alternatively, the communication interface standard may be conformed to USB (universal serial bus) 1.1 standard.
Alternatively, the communication interface standard may be conformed to USB (universal serial bus) 2.0 standard.
Alternatively, the communication interface standard may be conformed to IrDA SIR 2.0 standard.
Alternatively, the communication interface standard may be conformed to LAN Ethernet IEEE 802.3 standard.
The interface circuit may be provided on a substrate on which the print elements are provided.
A transferring speed of the printer information may be greater than 3 Mbps.
The present invention may includes the print head and the motor.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a printer apparatus for effecting recording on a recording medium on the basis of printer information inputted from outside, in which the printer information corresponding to communication interface standard for high speed data transferring is inputted to a print head via a distributor or HUB for distributing the printer information.
It means that the distributor or HUB is provided with a controller circuit for controlling a communication protocol of interface which an external equipment and a printer head.
Further, the distributer or HUB may be integrated with or separated from the control circuit.
The print head may include an interface circuit for converting input of the printer information corresponding to the communication interface standard into data processable in the print head and for outputting the converted data, and a plurality of print elements for effecting recording on a recording medium on the basis of printer information outputted from the interface circuit.
The apparatus may include an interface circuit conformed to the interface standard, and wherein control is effected so that the printer information is recorded on a predetermined area of the recording medium.
According to the present invention having the above-mentioned arrangement, in the interface circuit of the print head, since the printer information transferred from the data output side and corresponding to the communication interface standard for high speed data transferring is converted into the form processable in the print head and the recording on the recording medium is effected on the basis of the converted printer information, the number of data conversion operations in the printer apparatus is reduced, with the result that the amount of data stayed in the printer apparatus is reduced, thereby operating the printer system at a high speed.